Anti-Islam rallies, counter-protests flare in Australia

Rival anti-Islam and anti-racism rallies saw hundredsprotest across Australia at the weekend with violent clashesin Melbourne, as police officers mounted a strong presencein cities Sunday to keep the two sides apart.

About 100 anti-Islam protesters from the Reclaim Australiaand United Patriots Front groups waved the national flagand yelled chants at a rally in Sydney Sunday, with signsdeclaring â€œSay no to Shariaâ€ and â€œImmigration is theelephant in the roomâ€.

They were met by around 250 counter-demonstrators whocarried banners including â€œNo racism, no Islamophobiaâ€.Police â€” including riot squad officers and mounted units â€”packed Martin Place in the heart of Sydneyâ€™s centralbusiness district to separate the rival groups.

Five people were arrested at the Sydney demonstrations, aNew South Wales state police spokesman told AFP, withtwo expected to be charged.

There were some brief scuffles but no sign of the violenceseen in sister city Melbourne on Saturday, where police hadto use capsicum spray to subdue protesters.

â€œWhile there were a small number of people who chose todo the wrong thing, the majority of participants cooperatedwith police, which allowed for a peaceful demonstration,â€NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Clarke said in astatement.

Reclaim Australia organisers said they were not racist butthat the rallies were â€œa public response to the shock ofrecent atrocities of â€˜Islamâ€™s radicalsâ€™ both inside andoutside of Australiaâ€.

Government MP George Christensen told a ReclaimAustralia demonstration in Mackay in northern Queenslandstate it would be naive to think his country was not at warwith extreme Islam.

He added he was â€œsadâ€ to see neo-Nazis at the Sydney andMelbourne rallies, the Australian Broadcasting Corporationreported.

Former politician Pauline Hanson â€” who rose toprominence in the 1990s as head of the right-wing, anti-immigration party she co-founded â€” told a rally inRockhampton in central Queensland she was â€œagainst thespread of Islamâ€, the ABC reported.

â€œWe have other different religions that have never been aproblem in Australia,â€ she said, adding: â€œIâ€™m not targetingMuslims â€” Iâ€™m targeting the ideology, what Islam standsfor.â€

There were also opposing rallies in the capital Canberra,western city Perth and Tasmaniaâ€™s Hobart, with the anti-racism protests attracting the same number or moreparticipants.

â€œReclaim Australiaâ€ demonstrations were also held in Apriland attracted hundreds of people who said they wereprotesting against Islamic extremism.